Romani Gypsy shamanism has been practiced in Britain and Europe for hundreds of years, but the lives of the Gypsies remain a mystery. In fact, Gypsies are the living practitioners of Britain’s own shamanic tradition, the inheritors of a deeply enriching and healing craft which combines power, passion, light-heartedness and strong elements

of magic and sorcery, much of it the very stuff of our childhood fairy tales. Patrick “Jasper” Lee in “We Borrow the Earth” offers “an Intimate Portrait of the Gypsy Shamanic Tradition and Culture.” Published by Thorsons, 2000.

If you like to knit but need some inspiration, look no further. Deborah Bergman has combined her two passions of writing and knitting in an unusual and delightful collection of beautifully told classic myths of goddesses. She has interwoven them with appealing projects and knitting instructions that really go back to basics. Her new book, “The Knitting Goddess – Finding the Heart and Soul of Knitting Through Instruction, Projects and Stories,” is charmingly illustrated by Jenny Rideout. The step-by-step drawings of knitting technique are so well done that even a complete beginner would be able to follow them. Those in Oregon’s fiber community will recognize Deborah as one of their own. The Knitting Goddess is published by Hyperion, New York.

It is so refreshing to read a book on healing that is not pushing a particular approach as the answer to all your problems. On the contrary, Petrene Soames recognizes that our individual needs are all so different that there is no single answer. Instead, in her book, The Essence of Self-Healing, to be published by Fleet Street Publications in the Spring, Petrene recommends “looking into a variety of different pathways and then starting your own healing process with whatever feels right for you at the time.” Petrene has written this book against a rich and varied background as a healer, speaker and leading authority in healing and self-awareness. She has been successfully helping others achieve their personal potential for more than 20 years.

She describes her book as a “wake-up call” and the central theme is that the practice of self-healing is the start of a new lifestyle; one in which you can simply choose to take back your power and heal. “Anything is possible, but we need first to discover, examine and let go of all within us that says it is not…. Now is the time to believe in yourself and let the magic be!”

Marc Barasch’s new book, “Healing Dreams: Exploring the Dreams That Can Change Your Life,” gently persuades us that when we dream, we are in fact making a soul journey. It puts an adventurous spin on going to sleep at night. He shows how listening to the guidance available in one’s dreams can help us to reconcile our own contradictions, heal old wounds and open our consciousness to the wonders of the universe. Dreamwork just might be our greatest hope for finding wholeness. Healing Dreams is published by Riverhead/PutnamPenguin.